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There are two basic factors that determine admission to medical school independent of the personal qualifications of each candidate. These factors are the total number of first-year places available and the total number of applicants for admission. Presently, fewer than half of those that apply are accepted to American medical schools; about half of those that are rejected are considered qualified…

The admissions process is theoretically geared to recognize applicants who measure up to a hypothetical image of the person who, in the consensus of the medical school's admissions committee, will prove to be a successful medical student and in time a qualified and dedicated practitioner. Those who are accepted may not have all the qualities that a committee seeks. There may even be some ar…

Having come to the conclusion that medicine is an appropriate career for you, it is vital to become mentally charged up to face the potential changes in your lifestyle that may be necessary on the long road toward admission into medical school. It therefore, is necessary for you to: There are currently two means of applying — directly to the school and indirectly through the American Medica…

Letters of recommendation can have a significant impact if they describe you in realistic, qualitative terms (and when they rank you with respect to others applying from your class). When the letter writers discuss not your quantitative achievements (midterm and final or course grades), but you as a person (in terms of your innate potential, motivation, personali…

At the outset, it should be realized that the interview is not just a brief exchange between yourself and one or more representatives of the school that has requested your appearance. The interview should not be looked upon as a one-sided affair, but rather as an opportunity for a dialogue that has advantages for both the school and you. The school uses the interview to determine The interview wil…

Every medical school has an Office of Admissions. This office processes the voluminous paperwork associated with the admissions process and usually carries out the initial screening as discussed below. When student files are complete they are referred to the school's admissions committee. Medical school admissions committees have a complicated and difficult task. Selecting future medical st…

Attaining an acceptance to medical school, especially the one of your choice, is your goal (see letter on page 119). In responding to an acceptance, bear in mind that the Executive Council of the AAMC has approved a set of guidelines regarding acceptance. Among the recommendations are: Naturally, if you have received only one acceptance, your course of action is restricted. If you re…

There is a natural tendency to seek admission to the “best” medical school possible. The problem is identifying which medical schools are the best. It is quite possible that in reality the best school is the one that has accepted you and is also most suitable to your own special needs, rather than one whose only attraction is its distinguished reputation. Nevertheless, a list ranking…

When you apply to medical school you obviously risk the possibility of rejection. While such a response is a major setback, it need not necessarily mean that the rejection terminates your career prospects. To a considerable degree, gaining admission lies outside of your powers to control, since it is in part governed by factors over which you have no control. Such factors include the total applica…

The programs discussed below will be of special interest to those seeking admission to only one specific school, minority students, high school students anxious to complete the college-medical school sequence earlier, those interested in becoming physician-scientists, and those seeking a career in primary care. A few schools offer some minority students the possibility of completing the required c…

There are 16 Canadian medical schools. They are accredited jointly by the CACMS and LCME; therefore, these schools provide their students with assured high-quality medical education. They have admissions policies and procedures similar to U.S. medical schools. However, except for McGill University, Canadian schools admit very few U.S. applicants. The basic premedical science courses plus English a…

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